On Death's Wings
by BeneathThyMask
Summary: Ichigo had been kidnapped, but to where? And who are these guys in labcoats? And who is "Hunter"? What do they want with Ichigo! Read to find out! Rated T because of Language
1. The Battle

Above the serene town, a vicious battle was taking place. The sword slashed, both the wielder and the sword itself screaming, the hollow disappearing with a gurgle. There were many hollows approaching Karakura Town. Too much to just be a mere coincidence. The orange haired teen let his Zanpaktou, Zangetsu, rest at his side for a second. He scanned the area, his hazel eyes taking in the numbers.

'Shit! How many of these bastards are there?' He was getting increasingly pissed off. He was in the middle of class, again. _"At this rate, I'm surprised I'm not expelled, the assholes!"_

He charged at them once more, unleashing 2 Getsuga Tenshou's, which seemed to deplete the hollow's numbers considerably… for the time being. It didn't take long for more to come through, though.

"_I hope Renji and Rukia are okay. They seem to be having a hard time as well"_

He didn't have much time to ponder, as the screech of the hollow approaching him broke his concentration.

While he fought a seemingly never-ending battle, another Garganta split open the sky. An army of humans wearing wolf masks poured through the opening, Ichigo was concentrating too much on the hollows to sense the human's presence approach him. Without as much as a second passing between the human's arriving, they surrounded the boy. The Hollows backed off, and retreated back to where they came from… but Ichigo was a little preoccupied to notice.

The masked humans wore army uniforms, but instead of the usual green camouflage, these had dark grey and blacks. Their entire look was…unusual. They all wore the same mask, the exact same clothes, and a dark hood to cover their hair.

Ichigo was confused, his eyes darting around, trying to keep all of the new enemy in his sight. It was impossible though. There was simply too many.

A flash of metal and what felt like a very hard shove was all that Ichigo could register.

He found himself panting, even though he was perfectly fine a couple of seconds before.

He went to clutch his injury, but his hand was not able to touch his shoulder.

There was what seemed a piece of machinery attached to it. The little machine couldn't have been much larger than his hand, but it had the weight of something ten times the size. Suddenly the machine spluttered and roared into life, with an angry metallic sound, light's started flashing.

Ichigo roared in pain, as the machine stabbed into his shoulder, through the flesh and muscle, and eventually grasping on to the very bone. The deeper it dug, the louder it was becoming.

"_Who the hell are these guys? AND WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS THING ON MY SH-"_

Without warning, his eyes rolled back, and he began to fall, his body limp.

One of female humans dashed under him and managed to catch him by his collar. With a casual flick of her wrist, he flung him over her shoulder.

The portal opened again, and the army retreated.

There was a crackling of electricity, as the army disappeared. One of them stayed, and turned to look down on the town below her feet.

It was the same woman who saved Ichigo. She talked into her dying radio, a smug tone on her already silky voice.

"**This is Hunter. We got him. Mission: Accomplished."**


	2. The Doctor

**_.:Sorry for the lack of updates. I'll try and get them done more frequently! Also, if there is any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes, please tell me. _**

**_I would love it if you could please review it! Thank you~!:._**

The army of masked humans slowly disappeared, as they made their way into the dark dimension between the worlds, dissolving into smoke. Until there was only three left. As the last ones disappeared, the two of the masked ones groaned loudly as their bodies twisted and grew, becoming large and muscular, where as the third stayed perfectly still, making no sound at all. The reishi platform was cracking as the two finished their transformations. They took off their masks, with a sigh...apart from one. Two of them were males, about 6'2 tall, and very muscular… and they looked exactly the same, except their hairstyles. One had a very simple crew cut, where as the other twin had shoulder length black hair that was pulled back into a low pony tail, a couple of strands of hair escaping at his temples. They were very pale, as if they hadn't been in contact with the sun for a very long time. Their eyes were also very pale green, which were slightly slanted, a nasty smirk on their scarred lips.

"Oi, Samson!" The crew cut male shouted to his brother, who shot him a very dirty look.

"What? What do you want, Donari?" He spat back at his twin.

"Help Hunter with her mask - she must be sweating something awful under there!" With that, he shoved Samson slightly in the direction of Hunter. He leaned down and removed her mask, a glare meeting him.

"I didn't need your help, you big idiot." She growled at him. Samson clicked his tongue to himself. "You just can't be nice to some people, can you?" He straightened up, and gave his head a little rub.

Underneath the female's mask, was the same face on the two males… but with some slight differences. Her eyes were more slanted, giving her a more feminine look but also a permanent glare. She was a considerable amount smaller, but not in no way weaker. Her raven hair reached her slight hips. If she had a better attitude and personality most people would agree that she was in fact, very pretty.

Hunter turned to her brothers.

"We had better get back to Jeb with his new specimen, and quickly. " Her voice was cold, emotionless. It always has been.

The two brothers nodded and sprinted ahead, at an inhuman speed. But it wasn't fast enough for Shunpo. They created a somewhat level crossing for the sister. The girl grunted and shifted Ichigo on her shoulders, muttering. "You better be worth this trip, _boy." _She then started running herself, slightly slower than usual, thanks to the extra 66kg on her back.

The journey was a silent one, as the siblings ran in a point formation, Samson at the point, Donari on his left, Hunter on his right.

After what seems to be a couple of hours, the arrive at an exit. Samson alerted his brother and sister as the skidded to a stop, the two men slightly breathless, Hunter panting heavily.

Samson waved his hand in front of him, the air in front of him shimmering then becoming a black, solid wall. He waved his hand again and the wall tore apart, giving them entry into the new world.

They all stepped into the room ahead of them. It had a sickly antibacterial smell, with every surface shining. There was a counter of sorts around the room, covered with many surgical tools, and other medical equipment. In the middle of the room was a metal surgical bed, with large leather straps attached to the top and bottom, where the arms and ankles would be. There was only one door, and one window. As they stepped in, the Garganta shaped entrance snapped shut behind them.

Hunter moaned as she let Ichigo crash onto the surgical bed, the whirring instrument in his shoulder whirring like it might explode.

With an agitated grunt, Hunter swiped her hand across Ichigo's shoulder, grabbing the machine. As she grabbed it, Ichigo's body suddenly moved, his back arching. There was a splat of blood as she tore it from his bone. A sickening crack echoed through the room, as the boy's collar bone snapped clean in half.

The twins winced, their hands instinctively going to protect their own bones.

A pool of blood was forming on the tile floor, travelling through the gaps, reaching the corners of the room.

Suddenly a door opened, and a tall man walked through, in a stark white lab coat. He wore half moon glasses, which were perched on his long, slightly crooked nose. He had snow white hair, that was glossed back, his icy blue eyes were cold, and emotionless. He had wrinkles over his forehead, thanks to years of hunched over a desk, concentrating. He stood at a tall 6'2. He walked swiftly in, his eyes falling onto the bleeding teenager. He furrowed his brow, and glared at Hunter, who still held the bloody machine in her hand.

"Was that you? Who are you? And what the bloody hell are you doing in my theatre?" He had a very posh English accent, which was slightly shrill. He pointed to the bloody wound on Ichigo's shoulder. Hunter didn't reply, but instead said. "I take it you are to be Dr. Edward Aswell?" The middle aged man nodded briskly. "We are called Hunters, and we hunt things for our clients, for a certain price." She looked the Doctor straight in the eye. "Okay, here's the deal, Dr. Aswell. This boy here is a specimen that me and my team were told to go and collect at any cost. We do not know why he's so important, and it is not our place to ask." She paused, sighed and carried on. "Our _client_ was one Jeb Batchelder, you may know the name. We were then ordered to bring him here, and someone would be here to pick him up. And that person would be you." She looked positively bored. The man looked shocked, then confused, then returned to his normal stern expression. "Very well. I know what is required of me. But, if I may ask.." He pointed to the machine in the woman's hand. "what was that? What did it do?" Hunter paused before replying. "This here is called an Atomic Reishi Converter Extractor. Or A.R.C.E for short. In the dimension we just arrived from, his species is built from a substance called 'Reishi'. What that is yet, we have yet to find out. But this little monster here.." She held up the grotesque little machine in front of her face., blood dripping down her hand. "..extracts the said reishi, and converts it into one of these." She slammed her hand against the back of the machine. Suddenly a little red pill flew out. She caught it mid-air, and studied it. "That little red ball is very, very important, Doctor." She flung it at the somewhat confused Doctor, who scrambled for a second before grasping it in both of his large hands. "What…what am _I_ supposed to do with this?" His voice was quieter than before. Hunter shrugged, and replied simply. "Keep it safe, I suppose."

With that, she turned and barked at Samson to open the door again. He waved his hand at the wall, which split open, a heavy darkness on the other side. "Let's hope we never meet again, Dr Edward." With that, the trio disappeared.

The doctor placed the red pill in on of the many test tubes, and put a stopper on the top. He turned to Ichigo and took of his glasses, shaking his head as he wandered up to the limp body on the bed. "So you're the poor bastard I've to work on….poor boy." He looked sad, before cracking his knuckles. "Might as well get it over and done with, right, boy?" He started to take off Ichigo's shinigami clothes, putting on a hospital gown like garment on him. He then strapped him to the bed, the leather straps tight. The doctor walked near the door, and dragged a gas canister into the room. He attached a mask to the canister, and put it over Ichigo's mouth.

He rolled up his sleeves, and washed his hands. The blue latex gloves snapped as the were put on.

Dr. Aswell grabbed a scalpel from the tray attached to the bed, and made the first incision.

The blood now ran all through the floor.


	3. Explosive Introductions!

_**.:An update within a week! Wow, I'm on a roll! Please, you know what to do! Let me know of any mistakes, and please review! Thank you~:**_.

Blood covered the entirety Dr. Aswell's arms now. After nine hours of surgery, he was finally finished. He hollowed out bones, moves around internal organs to make way for an air sac, and then added the final touch; the wings. The wings were the most complicated, and bloody part of the entire procedure, as the doctor has to peel away the boys skin, and configure the shoulder muscles and tendons to bear the bulk of the new appendages. He also had to be extremely careful, as to not tear the blood vessels, or nerves. The wings aren't going to do the boy much good if he can't feel or move them. The boys entire body was covered in stitches in some way or another. His face had two linear scars down through his eyes, and down his cheeks, as had to do some minor surgery on his eyes, and remove any fat he could find, including his cheeks. The boy had very little body fat! His normal hazel eyes are now lighter, slightly amber, but not in an un-natural sense.

The doctor sighed, exhausted.

He had done his job, and he had patched the boy back up again. He tied bandages tight around Ichigo's mid-drift, starting from his hips, up to his neck, just before his chin, so that the wings could heal properly. He also placed some bandages on most parts of his body, just to be safe, especially on the boys face. He put two bandages on his eyes, so it covered the upper part of his face.

The doctor shouted for some assistance, his voice hoarse from being silent for such a long time. Two men came in, both in lab coats. They were both young, in their early twenties. Both wore tinted classes, and had the same slightly shocked expression on their faces.

"You two, go get a recovery bed, then help me move him. Be careful, he's still just fresh out of surgery!" The two nodded and hurried out of the door, and returned a minute or so later, bed in tow. The aligned the two beds, then rushed over to help the doctor. After a minute or so of grunting and moaning, they managed to get Ichigo's limp body onto the recovery bed. He was still bleeding heavily. The doctor cursed and grabbed a needle and jabbed Ichigo's arm. Soon after, the blood stopped flowing, and instead just dripped.

The assistants wheeled Ichigo into a large, white room. It had a series of cages on the sides, the kind for dogs, and some were smaller. They all emitted some kind of noise, be it human or otherwise. The cages all contained children, that had been mutated into some kind of hybrid. Some were successes…and some were not. There were two larger cages, at the side upper corner of the room, and they were the loudest of them all. Not because they were screeching, but just the cages were moving. Inside the largest one, was a lanky, 14 year old teenage boy. He had large blue, yet sightless eyes. His strawberry blonde hair was going in all directions, and his 6'2 body was in all a tangle. He was not made to fit in a cage. He grunted as he tried to find a position that wasn't too painful. His large wings weren't helping him at all. At last, his cage was silent. He was upside down, his legs curled up in a foetal-like position. He sighed before hoarsely whispering to the cage beside him. "Oi! Gasman! You awake?" He waited for a minute before a grumbling came from the cage beside him.

"Just…just five more minutes…" Gasman, or better known as Gazzy, replied. The boy was only 8 years old, with his messy blonde hair, and dark blue eyes. He was moaning in his sleep, not actually paying any attention to the teen. The teen let out a grunt and flung his weight to the side of his cage, so that it hit the younger boys cage. With a yelp, the boy hit his head as we was woken so violently. "What the….what was that all about, Iggy?" He moved to that his face was pressed against the cold metal bars of his cage. "I can't believe we got caught. Again." He sighed and looked over at the older boy, and whispered. "What was it?" The teen was silent, but instead pointed a finger over to the recovery bed, where Ichigo lay. The boys voice was quiet, and thoughtful. "That was just rolled in. And I want to know what it is." He sounded mildly frustrated. Gazzy pressed up against the bars, trying to get a better look.

"Um.. there's a guy on a bed. Looks like a recovery bed, going by the bandages." He stopped, his eyes wide.

"Gasman, what is it? You can't do that to me. Tell me, what's up there!" He was unusually snappy.

"Uh, Iggy? I think he's one of us. One of the Avian bird Hybrid's." He spoke slow, his little mind racing.

"What? I thought you had to be _born _with the bird DNA? That doesn't make any sense. He should be…he shouldn't be there. Alright. We need to get out here, and quickly." His voice was low, yet gentle, with a hint of urgency.

"Yeah, I thought so too." He paused. "How are we gonna get out? They took everything from us. Also…what about him? Are we taking him?" Iggy was quiet for a while.

"Okay, here's the plan." Gazzy watched as he explained the entire plan with his hands, in their own special code. "And he's coming with us."

Iggy braced himself, gritting his teeth. He started flapping his giant wings, and screamed with all his lungs. Four burly guards came through the door, and headed straight for Iggy's cage. As the guard unlocked the cage to beat him to silence, a foot as planted in the guards face, a sickening cracking sound emitting throughout the room. His nose, and the majority of his teeth were either broken or fractured. As the guard roared in pain, Iggy made a dash out of his cage, straightening out his long body as he punched two of the guards straight in the face. "Not bad for a blind kid, right?" He chuckled for a second, and then hit off the lock on Gasman's cage. He darted out, his wings spread out. Iggy's wing's were also splayed out, ready to fly when needed. Gasman and Iggy both rushed over to where Ichigo was, and gasped slightly when they saw him. Both cringed in sympathy. They knew that he's going to be in pain, whoever he was. Gasman ripped out the IV drip that was attached to the boys hand, while Iggy placed Ichigo gently as he could on his back. It was difficult, but he managed it. Suddenly Iggy started running, Gasman after him. Gasman stopped suddenly, and looked back, a glint of sadness in his eyes, as he looked into all the other experiments. He really wished he could rescue them as well. "We'll be back! I swear! Just hold out until then!" He shouted before running after Iggy. They ran through corridors, until they found what they were looking for. A supply closet. Gasman rushed in, and grabbed materials. A massive, mischievous grin was on his face, Iggy grinned back. He then flashed his fingers, gasman smiling more and more. They were far away enough for the other's not to be involved in their plan.

Iggy flapped his white wings, gaining air quickly, the other joining him. They managed to get to the window, before Gasman tapped Iggys hand, the shouted with glee.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!."

The explosion wasn't huge, but it was enough to send Iggy and Gasman into the air. The levelled out, laughing. They gave each other a high five, and grinned. Ichigo mumbled in his sleep, giving the pair a scare. They headed back to where they last were, Yellow Stone. It took about 4 hours to reach this week's 'base'. Which happened to be a large clearing in a forest. They landed a couple of meters away from the Flock, Iggy panting heavily. They never stopped for a break, so they were both exhausted. They walked slowly up to the clearing, just in time to see the Flock prepare to leave.

"Hey! Hey! Everyone!" Gasman rushed out in front, just in time.

The group of teenagers cheered as they saw Gasman run towards them, grinning.

Max, the leader of the group, was the first to answer. "We were just coming to rescue you! How did you get-. Oh wait." Max wiped some debris off Gasman's shoulder. "I see." She smiled, kneeling down, and hugged Gasman, nearly crushing him in the process. "Where's Iggy?" Her voice was calm, but she was concerned. Even though she knew the teen could look after himself, she always worried. Gasman smiled, and gestured behind him. "He's just…" He looked around before finishing off his sentence quietly. "…behind me." The clearing was bare. Gasman ran back, shouting. The teen replied quickly, but rather quietly. Gasman reached Iggy just in time to see him collapse, exhausted. The orange haired teen on his back had rolled onto his side, bleeding, and moaning. Max, Fang, Nudge and Total caught up just in time to see Iggy touch the ground. They all shouted in unison.

Max jogged over to the lanky teen, and sighed. He was just asleep.

"Gasman…who the hell is he?" Her voice was dangerously calm. "Uh… he was in the School as well. I think he might be one of us, Max. We couldn't leave him there, could we?"

She walked over to the bleeding teen, and gasped. Even if he was a stranger, or an enemy, he couldn't do much in the state he was in. "We'll see what he is when he's awake, and recovered. Come on, help me with him." Fang and nudge jogged over and reluctantly picked up the teens feet.

They walked into the centre of the clearing, next to the dying fire. It was just past dawn now. They gently placed him next to the fire to keep him warm.

Max sat down, and sighed. "I'd better call Dr. Martinez, shouldn't I? See if she can help him.. whoever he is."

She flipped open her disposable mobile, and punched in a number.

The dialling tone was interrupted by a chirpy voice.

"Um, Dr. Martinez? It's Max. I'm sorry to call you on such short notice…but we have a slight problem that I think you could help us with…if you don't mind, that is…"

_**Thank you for reading! **_


	4. The Reveal

.:Note to readers: Ichigo is in a lot more pain than usual, as the doctor had to operate on both his physical, and spiritual form. You just imagine having your soul hacked into! D: (Yes, he is an insane doctor.):.

After a couple of minutes of conversation, Max finally hung up. A sigh left her lips as she stood ad stretched. "Alright. Dr. Martinez can treat the stranger over there. We'll be heading out tomorrow." She walked over to the campfire and placed her hands over the fire. It may be in the middle of the day, but that did not mean it was warm.  
>Ichigo suddenly groaned loudly, making the Flock's heads snap towards him, in sync. Their eyes widened as they saw him. He had managed to pull himself up onto his elbows, but he was panting very heavily. He did not look good. His bandages were coming loose, showing bloody wounds and gnarly stitching. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes squeezed shut from the mere effort of moving his own head. He slowly opened his amber eyes. He looked around groggily, his brain not registering his new surroundings. Suddenly he, for lack of a better description, yelped. He tried to curl his legs to his body, but was unable..his muscles were still healing. Instead he lay there and screamed as the pain coursed through every fibre of his being.<br>Max ran over to the screaming man, and went to place her hand on his shoulder but stopped suddenly, letting her hand hover. She withdrew her hand and shouted; a sense of urgency in her voice, for someone to get a blanket.  
>'Why…why did I stop? It wasn't exactly intimate…' Max pondered to herself.<br>Iggy's footfalls could be heard approaching Ichigo, blankets in hand. He gently placed the blankets over the man's shoulders, Ichigo's whimpers dying down until he passed out from the pain. Iggy looked over at Max, a worried expression written on his face.  
>"Max, I don't think he can wait until tomorrow…" Max's expression also became worried. He was right, she knew that much. But…what is this guy? She had a nervous knot in her stomach whenever she was near him.<br>She shut her eyes, thinking. She quickly opened them, and stood up. And with a sense of authority, gave her orders.  
>"Iggy, you and Fang, could you take…" She hadn't given him a nickname yet. It was getting a little tiresome to keep calling him "stranger" or "him". She thought for a minute. "Could you two please take Scar?" She cringed internally. She wasn't the best at originality, and since he was covered in scars, it made sense. Fang tapped Iggy's hand three times, to which Iggy nodded. Fang then went over to Ichigo- or rather, Scar- and placed him on his back, Ichigo groaning softly as he was moved. It was an odd sight, as Ichigo was rather largely built, and Fang…wasn't. Iggy gathered the blankets and covered Ichigo as much as he could. After a moment, he finished. Fang spoke. "Iggy and I will take turns carrying…Scar." he shifted his shoulders and snapped open his wings. Without as much as a grunt they all took off in the direction of Dr. Martinez's home.<p>

After a couple of hours, they landed safely a couple hundred meters away from the Martinez household. Iggy and Fang were both breathing heavily, as was Ichigo. The ride was smooth, but it must've felt like the flight of hell for Ichigo...if he were awake that is. His wounds were barely being held together, as the stitches were coming loose because of all the movement. He was never conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. Ichigo was on Iggy's back for the last stretch of the flight, but it was Fang who noticed Ichigo's discomfort.  
>"Max! We gotta get him in there, and quick!" Max nodded and ran ahead, while Iggy jogged behind her, his legs feeling like they were made of lead. They soon reached the wood door, Max's fist pounding it. There was a hurried sound behind the door, before the door swung open, a disgruntled Dr. Valencia. Her eyes opened at the sight of Max, and at the boy on Iggy's back. She quickly ushered them in. "Max…are the rest out there? If they are, hurry up and tell them to come in! Iggy, you come with me." Dr. Martinez had her 'doctoring' boots on. Max quickly nodded and ran back outside, slightly crashing through the door.<br>A couple of minutes later, Scar was sprawled on his stomach on a makeshift hospital bed, with the flock, Ella and Valencia surrounding him. His bandages were fairly loose, and very bloody. The doctor quickly pulled on her Latex gloves, and started removing the bandages, little by little. After about thirty minutes had passed, she finally slipped the last of the bandages off. They all stood in awe, with their mouths hanging loose.

On the back of this teenager was a set of superficial wings. Since he didn't have the DNA imported when he was still a baby, the School had to be a little creative, and use his spiritual energy to create a set of wings that were sure to be accepted by Ichigo's body. His wings were at least 15 feet long, and a dark, dark red, which looked more like black from far away. At the tips of each feather was a flash of a lighter shade of red, then a white tip, which, all in all, covered about a quarter of each feather. His back had been slit from his neck to his tail , with nasty, open wounds marking them.  
>"No wonder he had passed out… he must have been in agony!" Dr. Martinez muttered under her breath. With a small click of her tongue, she went and retrieved an IV drip, full of morphine. She installed it in the boy's wrist vein, to give instant relief.<br>With her back to the flock, her voice was very serious.

"Now, what do you plan to do with him once he's healed?"

(Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had some major writing block D: I'll try and keep it up to date quite regularly!)


	5. Healing the Impossible

Max didn't really think that far ahead. The flock and her stood in silence, that thought never really passing through their heads. All they cared about at that moment was trying to make sure the teenager lived through the hell he'd just endured. The leader began to fiddle with her hoodie for only a moment before looking at the doctor straight in her eye, her voice strong and unwavering. "We'll show him how to survive. We'll teach him how to fly...how to adapt." Turning to the flock that now occupied Dr. Valencia's operating room (which was her bedroom only minutes previous.) "Are you guys okay with that?" The group nodded in sync.. Fang being slightly hesitant, but he knew that deep down, if they left him now, it would've been more merciful to just kill him when they first set eyes upon him.

The doctor set to work, but not before shoo-ing the flock from the room. This type of procedure needed space, and time, especially since human-avian hybrids weren't exactly her speciality(even if, in the back of her head, she's starting to think it is.). Grudgingly sitting in the living room, each person sitting in either a chair, the floor, or pacing in the limited space. The time seemed to creep by, the entire group wincing when they hear a grunt or yelp, the morphine not being able to reach his soul. One hour passed..then two. Then another. The exhaustion from the long, fast flight hitting them all, Fang and Iggy especially. After the 6th hour, a sound of soft snoring came over the livingroom, only one person still awake. Max stood at the door, her ear pressed against the wood. It was relatively quiet from she could hear. The painful sounds stopped after about 4 hours, and a part of her...a very small part of her, thought he'd died right there. But, he hadn't. Or at least that's what she presumed.

Jumping back as the door swung open, the corner catching her temple, and she let out a shout, waking the flock with her noise, the poor kids nearly jumping out of their skin. Rubbing the soreness away, she glared marginally at the doctor before remembering why she was there at the first place. Forgetting the pain, she couldn't bear to ask.. but instead perked an eyebrow, asking mentally 'Did he make it? Will he be alright?" As if hearing her telepathic questions, she nodded, but sighed deeply. That was never a good sign. She looked exhausted, but as soon as she looked over at the slightly dazed group, she smiled. "He'll make it. It'll take time for him to heal, but.. they seemed to have attached those wings on good. They'll be useable, and so will his muscles." Pausing for breath, a hand reaching for her hip. "The scars should go down too, in time. He's a tough one, alright... any other human would have died hours ago."

Nodding solemnly, she let out a sigh of relief she wasn't even aware she was holding. Leaning against the wall, she ran her fingers through her hair, and smiled. He was going to make it, after all. Dr. Valencia suddenly spoke, bringing Max out of her daydream. "You guys can sleep here tonight. I know it'll be cramped, but I don't want you out flying tonight. I'll bring down some covers and pillows." Her voice was soft...tired. Turning away from the group, the good doctor left, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. Letting herself slide down the wall, she relaxed finally.

A little while later, all beds were set up, every flock member tucked in for the night. Most of them fell asleep before their head even touched the pillow, Max not far behind. Turning herself over, she smiled to herself. She was happy that Scar was going to live. The smile never left her face until she had fell into a deep sleep. In the other room, Ichigo began to stir. It was about five o'clock in the morning when his face screwed up. His mind was...blurry. Where was he? What had happened..? Was he dreaming? He couldn't answer any of the questions in his drugged state. His eyes fluttered open slowly, the bedroom in which he lay dark, with only the moonlight illuminating the room. Finally opening his eyes, he let them focus, which took longer than normal. Moving his eyes, he tried to figure out where he was, but nothing was familiar, not even the air. And that was when he suddenly snapped upright, suddenly very alert. He needed to know where he was. A shot of pain coursing through his entire body never stopped him, even if it did make him double over slightly. Turning slowly, the hospital nightgown wrapping around his heavy legs, he finally managed to sit on the edge of the bed. His breathing heavy, but his determination made him start to stand, his legs still not strong enough to support him. Grabbing a crutch that had been left there, he shoved it under his arm, and tried to stand again. The second attempt was a lot more fruitful, as he managed to actually stand.. and now the really difficult part. Walking. Starting painfully slow, putting one bandaged foot in front of the other, he made his way to the door. Pulling it open with a grunt, he was greeted by a very surprised looking woman in a pin, fluffy dressing gown. Letting out a frightened yell, his foothold, or whatever was there, left him, sending his already broken body to the ground, his long legs flailing. The woman, Dr Valencia, dropped the cup that was in her hand, and rushed over to help him, Ichigo trying to fight her off. Max stumbled out of the mass bedroom, followed by Fang. As soon as her tired eyes spotted his very bright orange hair, she dived to help, Fang following her lead.

A struggle, and a good few bruises later, Ichigo was back in bed, this time tied down by belts across his ankles, wrists and torso. His breathing was irregular, as was everyone's. Slowly moving his stiffened neck, he looked at the three stranger's.

"You better tell me where I am and why, before... before I do something I'll regret later."


	6. Calming the Storm

AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_Well... heh. Hi everyone! I'm not sure who's still following this, but here we are! AN UPDATE! After...too long. I've had a lot of things happen to me, and this story just got...left behind :/ But! I hope to start updating again regularly. It's short, I know... I'm just getting back into writing fanfiction._**

**_I hope you enjoy!_**

**_Please review~_**

Max refrained from kicking the boy on the bed. They were only trying to help! Taking a deep breath to calm her shaking hand, she looked at the other. "You're in Washington D.C. And you're here because my brother's here saved your ass." She was being short with him, and she knew that, but he didn't even say thank you! Moving so that the boy could see her, she nodded her head. "I'm Max." After introducing herself, she introduced everyone in the room in turn. After the brief introductions, she finally turned to the boy. "And who the hell are you?" She perked her eyebrow at the boy, before crossing her arms, instantly going on the defensive.

"I'm..uh.." He faltered for a moment, his face scrunching in thought. "My name.. is.. Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." This was strange. He didn't remember his own name for a moment there. He let of a sigh of frustration, before talking. "I'm sorry... I'm just.. confused."

Max's face softened at the words ever so slightly. So the guy wasn't just an ass then. She supposed she should've been expecting a reaction to the one he just gave - she would be the same. If she woke up in an unfamiliar place, in agony and surrounded by strangers, hell... she'd be worse. She wouldn't have backed down, but fought tooth and nail until she was free again. But then, he probably didn't grow up quite the way she did. He probably didn't grow up in a cage, poked and prodded by scientists. From his general demeanor, he grew up normally. A sharp, painful pang hit Max. He was lucky. But, now wasn't the time for such petty things as jealousy.

Kneeling down to the orange-haired man, she took in a breath. Maybe now wasn't the most ideal time or situation to do introductions, but then... now was as good a time as any. "Let's try this name is Max." She pointed a finger at Fang casually. "And he's Fang. We're here to help you." Her brows softened, as did her voice. Now she felt total sympathy for the boy. "We're sorry that you're in this mess, but we won't get anywhere unless you calm down. Can you do that for me?"

Ichigo just stared at her before nodding silently. What a strange bunch of people. His body gave shot of pain, right up his spine..and to somewhere he couldn't explain. Groaning, his hands instantly moved to see what was on his back, but his hands were constricted. Letting out a huff, he turned to Max once more. "Alright. I'm not saying I'm happy with this - because I'm not. But just...what the hell happened?"

Oh man. This wasn't going to go down pretty, but she took in a lungful of air, and explained the best she could. "Iggy and Gasman found you in the School, covered in bandages. They busted you out, and brought you here. The good doctor here," She pointed to the still scowling doctor. "helped put you back in one piece. Someone had obviously been busy." She shrugged. "That's all we know. But, we'll help you find your answers."

It wasn't in really normal for Max to take someone in so freely. No-one got in that she didn't know every dark secret of. Afterall, she couldn't put her family in danger because she felt bad for someone. Standing up tall, she stretched, before yawning.

"It's late. Get some rest. We'll get you up and moving tomorrow, but try and get some good rest, okay? That's an order." She smiled, trying to lighten the increasingly heavy atmosphere. Ichigo simply nodded, obviously still in shock. Nodding to herself, she walked back into their 'bedroom', dragging Fang along behind (who was still half-asleep.)

As they finally settled down to rest again, Fang finally spoke up. "I don't know if we can trust him." Max sighed. "I don't know either. I don't think he's an Eraser... But, I saw some feathers though. You don't think...?" She left her sentence hanging, with Fang quickly cutting in with, "No. It can't be. He'd need to be totally reconfigured, and his genes re-defined..." The possibilities buzzed through their heads, until they finally passed out once again.

Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.


	7. Open Horizon

The morning that greeted Max and her flock was one of bright sunlight and a clear blue sky. Max had blinked herself awake just after the sun had made its appearance in the sky. She couldn't sleep. Her mind whizzed and ran whenever her eyes shut. So, she decided she may as well be productive in her alone time. Drawing up plans and preparations, she worked out little wrinkle she could think of. But a lot of her information wasn't concrete. She didn't really know what had Ichigo had done to him, or what he was capable of.

"Hey…Max? Whatcha doin' there?"

Her head snapped up, her neck cracking in response. Groaning, a hand rubbed her neck. She must've fell asleep again. Now, Gasman's face was right in front of hers, his large eyes incredibly curious. She smiled the best she could before answering. "Just preparing. What time is it?" She looked out to the window. The sun was higher in the sky than it was when she last looked. "It's just past 10. You're good." He grinned at her. Well, at least someone was nice and refreshed. Stretching out her limbs, the release of tension making her smile. On her lap was a sketchpad, doodled on every inch, and totally incomprehensible to anyone but her. But then, no-one else needed to know what it said.

"Alright, cool… Is everyone else up?" Gasman nodded. Max let out a small groan, but stood up, folding over the sketchpad. "Alright. Well, we might as well start now… we've got a long day ahead of us, after all." Wandering through to the kitchen, a yawn erupting as she walked, but her eyes were still focused on the kitchen. Pushing through the white wooden door, she smiled and nodded. Ichigo was awake, if only just. He looked a little better than he had done – more colour to his cheeks. Craning her neck, she could see the top of Fang and Iggy's heads out of the back door. Placing her hand on gasman's back, she directed him to join the rest. With a pouted look, he agreed. Soon, it was just her and her stranger.

"Mornin', Ichigo. How're you feeling today?"

Ichigo was sitting on the edge of his bed, and he must not have heard her arrive, since his head snapped up in surprise. He smiled, if only a little. Max couldn't help but notice that he had a nice, warm smile. "I'm… feeling better. Still sore, but I can at least move." Max nodded, and approached Ichigo, her eyes taking in his wounds. He was healing remarkably fast, and Max had to fight back the urge to gasp. A man who looked like he had just been hacked up and put together shouldn't be able to move. Hell, _he shouldn't even be alive. _As she circled him, something caught her eye. Eyes glancing up at Ichigo, who seemed to be fascinated by the wallpaper, she leaned in closer to get a look. "What the…" Most of his bandages had been moved, mainly due to the fact that he hadn't stopped moving. A flash of pure white caught her eye under one particular bandage. Being as careful as she could, she peeled up the bandage, and her brows furrowed in deep confusion. What the hell was on his skin? Using her spare hand, she ran her finger down it. The white material was covering the majority of one of the larger cuts along his back, dotted down the entire length. It felt hard under her finger. Not like hard skin 'hard'… more like 'bone' hard. But even as she thought this, the material dissipated into dust as soon as her finger touched it.

"That's freaky." Ichigo turned to face her, his brows back in their usual place of a frown. "What's wrong?" Max stood up quickly. "O-oh… Nothing. You just…" Why couldn't she just say 'Hey man, I saw this weird white stuff on your back? You know anything about that?' But no. "Y-You just healed really quick…" If there was an award for the lamest comebacks ever, that was high up in the nomination list. Moving quickly around to his front, she cleared her throat. "Anyway. Since you seem pretty much healed, we'll continue with my plan… but we won't push you to hard." Ichigo nodded. Max yelled for her family to re-enter the kitchen, all of them just barely making it. Max explained her plan, of how they were going to try Ichigo out. They were too far away from the cabin where the rest of the flock learned to fly (she had assumed what she saw last night were wings.) But, she didn't make it straight out that they were going to teach him how to fly… if it turned out he didn't have wings, then they'd turn to plan B. General physiotherapy, with the help of the doctor. Mainly the doctor would just give direction. It was a simple plan, really.

"You ready to go, Ichigo? Fang, you grab him under that arm, I'll take this one."

And then they were off.

They moved to the back garden, the sun beating down on them. Setting Ichigo down on the grass, they began to undo all the useless bandages that were serving more of a purpose to hinder him, rather than help. After a good forty minutes of unwrapping, soon only a bandage around his head and chest remained. While they unwrapped him from his bandages, they all stifled a gasp. What they saw defied all logic – even their own. By any 'normal' human standards they were unnatural. But for something to be unnatural to an unnatural? It would have to be spectacular.

_A human born without Avian DNA…had wings. Functional, working wings._

They were dark, and folded rather neatly beside his shoulder blades. It was obvious they were very big – even by their standards. (Their wing spans reached as much as 6ft in length.) This was either one of the best things, or worst things that could've happened. The worst, because that means that any poor person could be made Avian. And the best scenario would be that they could be turned _back, _should they decide it.

Deciding to shove that train of thought away, she concentrated on the mission at hand.

Ichigo was so confused. In more than one way. He was still in shock, from being transported from his home dimension…into this one. (Ichigo had figured that out for himself.) But now… something more was wrong. His back had felt strangely heavy, like a backpack was stuck to his back that was full of his old school books. He had recovered surprisingly well, even for him. He was sure he was going to die in that kitchen last night…. Yet here he was, feeling 1000 times better, if still a little sore and weak. It was starting to worry him… if that since he know knew he was somewhere different, so would _he. _But he was a whole other problem he didn't need to deal with.

He sat on the cold, slightly damp grass in silence, as they unravelled him like a mummy. It was a relief though, to get the bandages off his sweating skin. The mild breeze was heavenly to him the more they revealed. This went on for nearly twenty minutes, the unwinding. Until they suddenly stopped. He wanted to ask what was wrong, what had made them stop… but they had continued too quickly for him to answer. Now with only two bandages on, he felt mildly naked. The feeling on his back had changed, and now it was _painful. _Not agonisingly painful, but it was more alarming. Like his brain was screaming at him to get whatever was on his back _off. _

He stretched, enjoying his freedom again. And something moved that shouldn't have. A dark shape was sprawling out behind him, creating a large, ominous shadow in front. Ichigo let out a yelp, and as fast as he could, he crawled away. But the shadow kept chasing him, looming over him. His hands were still raw, and he had to sit back down, but he nearly snapped his neck trying to see what was making the shadow.

He saw what was on his back.

And screamed.

Max had to move quickly, as Ichigo stretched. One of his wings decided to join in, and the Flock got their first look of their new companion's wings. Dark blue, nearly black feathers spread as with their masters fingers. Their tips were strange, and showed just how _out of place _Ichigo was. Each and every feather looked as if to be dipped in blood. Each member was taken aback not by the beauty of the wing in front of him, but the sheer size. A foot and a half, possibly two longer than Fangs (who had the largest in the Flock), spread out from the man's back.

But, Ichigo wasn't aware of his new appendages quite yet. This was made rather apparent by the sudden dash away from the shadows they were making. He didn't get far, and plopped down on the grass just a few feet away from Max and the rest. She could tell he was panicking, and the scream affirmed that.

Running over, she quickly crouched down, and placed a hand on Ichigo's broad shoulder. "Shh! Shh…" Ichigo turned to look at her, his bright orange hair falling in front of his face, showing only an eye. But, there was a wild look in his eyes, his brain unable to process what his eyes just saw. "It's okay… It's okay. Look, trust me. You're not in any danger, and y-your…" She paused, but continued after swallowing loudly, "your wings won't hurt you."

"W-w…" His mouth couldn't seem to find its way around the word. "My… _w-wings?!" _

Looking as if he might explode, the actual result was rather anticlimactic. Instead, his body just slumped. He had fainted.

"Oh boy."


	8. The Wings of Hope

Trying to calm Ichigo down was a mission all in itself. That was, as soon as he'd woken up again. It took him nearly half an hour to recover from his discovery. His breathing was still jagged and irregular, but the wild look in his eye was gone, which was a good sign. Max had kept him under her grasp in the only way she knew to really comfort someone who had just realised they now had wings - especially if they weren't born with them like the rest of the flock. It was a first for everyone - probably the first in the world. The media would gobble up that story before it even managed to open it's eyes.

"Please, Ichigo… I know this is a lot to ask of you right now," She gave a sigh as her brain kicked into overdrive. Why was she always left with these kind of jobs? Probably because she was the only one who could deal with it calmly, "But I really need you to keep calm, okay?" Ichigo shot her a look of, 'are you seriously kidding me?', but Max's face was hard, letting him know that unfortunately… no. She wasn't kidding. Ichigo's voice had risen a half octave when he spoke. "Why…? W-What happened…? _Wings?!" _That was all that he could say. Max suspected that this was an average response… considering there was no average since this had never happened before. Keeping her head, she replied the best she could, considering the incoherency of Ichigo's words. "We don't know much more than you, unfortunately…" She clicked her tongue. "Not with the 'why' or 'how'. But yes. You have got wings… somehow." And now for the big reveal. "We all do."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She couldn't help the glare she gave off. Even though he himself had them, he found it hard to believe _others _could have them too? Shrugging off the light jacket she had pulled around herself, she let her wings spread open. The sensation was always pleasant, like a muscle gone numb from neglect. The slats in their tops came in mighty handy then. As if hearing a silent signal, they all began to spread their wings as much as they could without overcrowding the place. Ichigo looked at them with a slack jaw, before blinking a "This is…really happening…" Well he at least he was accepting the fact that winged humans did exist…and now he was part of them. "We were born like this. Our bodies were naturally prepared for the Avian DNA… which your body was not." She thought for a moment, then delved deeper into her explanation. "Our mothers were part of a scientific experiment to see if animal and human DNA could be spliced together to create super humans. There's a lot more of us, but not all of us were injected with Avian DNA. Some of the other children were injected with Lupine, or canine DNA when in the womb…" She thought she might as well through him all the curveballs now. "We call them Erasers. Their job, their reason for existing is to kill us. Why? Because we were too successful." During her explanation, she had been staring at Ichigo's face, analysing it. So far, he was actually starting to understand. Well, understand might be a strong word, but he was accepting it now, nonetheless.

"And now we're gonna try and teach you to fly… and get used to your new parts the best we can. How does that sound?"

Ichigo nodded, if somewhat slowly. Taking a deep breath in, he braced himself to stand. "That sounds… pretty good." They didn't know it, but it was better than he let it on - it gave him a mission, a goal to reach. "Oh, and then once you're air-worthy we're also going to see why the hell the whitecoats at the School decided to chop you up." Ichigo looked somewhat confused. "Whitecoats? School? I know School is pretty bad but…" He left his sentence hanging, hoping someone would come and explain. Thankfully someone did… and it wasn't Max for once. The dark haired guy finally spoke. He had to rake his mind for a name. Fang? That sounded right. "The School is where we grew up. It's more technical name would be a laboratory. It's where we were experimented on for the first half of our lives. And the Whitecoats are the scientists who think they can play God and change people's lives without their permission." He motioned to Ichigo, and nodded once. "I'm pretty sure you can understand our feelings toward them." Ichigo nodded. Oh yeah, he understood. He'd had that enough already… mainly in the form of Hichigo, most recently. Hichigo was Ichigo's alter ego. Well, he was another personality stuck within Ichigo's body. But unlike when average humans get another voice in their head, they didn't have a need to overtake the main body _completely. _And Hichigo had been nipping and pulling inside his head for the best part of the last three months. But ever since he had landed here… he had been quiet. He hoped that it stayed that way.

Ichigo moved from his standing position, to just beside Max. His movements weren't exactly strong, but since he know had a mission and an enemy to take down, his steel willpower kicked into action. No-one and nothing was going to stop him getting his answers now. "Alright… So what's first?"

The first lesson took them well into the afternoon, only stopping when they could no longer see due to the night that had fallen on top of them. The first lesson was pretty simple, in theory. 'Move your wings independently of each other." This was a big part of flying, since each wing had to move in accordance to how the wind favoured, or more often than not, pushed against them. Ichigo had a hard time grasping this concept. Both wings would do what he wanted only the tip of the left to do, or whenever he raised his arms in exasperation, his wings would join in. But the flock was patient with him, showing their own techniques to doing it. By the time they had made their way in for the night, exhausted and starving, Ichigo was feeling somewhat hopeful. Somewhat because it was taking him longer than he'd like, but he was hopeful because it was actually _working. _ The idea of him flying was still a far off objective, but it was now within grasping distance. He just hoped he wasn't scared of heights.

The flock, Ichigo included collapsed into their respective beds for the night, most falling asleep long before their heads hit their pillows. Ichigo was eager for the morning to come, so he could train some more. But unlike when he's in his Shinigami form, his human body weakens quicker, especially now that it's been reconfigured. Ichigo's dreams were full of men in masks, a place of darkness that seemed eerily familiar, yet he was unable to name. He awoke long before the sun had made his appearance in the sky. The thought of trying to fall asleep again passed through his head, but was quickly dismissed. Flinging over his long legs from his bed in the kitchen, he clothed himself as quietly as he could, and with as much stealth as he could muster, he slipped out through the back door. His personal training time wasn't all that different from when the Flock was there. Time and again, he willed his feathers to move independently, to feel the small early morning breeze and move with it. Some feathers done as they were told, but most remained still. Moving his actual wings was also a problem, since he couldn't quite wrap his head around the muscle movement needed. They moved in awkward angles that made Ichigo gasp in pain more than once.

By the time the sun had risen in the sky, Ichigo was near the state of collapse. Fang had been the first to wake, and was headed to see how Ichigo was feeling. When he found the bed empty, he glanced outside, and caught a sliver of Ichigo's dark wings. As he was about to yell at Ichigo asking him what the hell was doing that early in the morning - he glanced at the clock. It was barely 8AM! But Fangs jaw became slack as Ichigo let out a final grunt of effort, and his wings beat with some form of rhythm…

The heels of Ichigo's feet rose slightly off the ground.


	9. Death's Smile

**{ HELLO EVERYONE. WOW. LOOK. I DONE IT. I'm sorry this is pretty short - I'm having to rethink this entire plot from this point, so please bear with me! I hope you all enjoy! Please review, and follow~! 3 }**

The soles of Ichigo's feet rose off the ground after nearly three hours of brutal practise. His wings were so foreign to him, every time he thought he had them grasp of it, a muscle he didn't have before would cramp, sending him to the ground. Sweat clung to every inch of his skin - he was pushing himself too far, too quick, but if nothing else, Ichigo was known for his stubbornness. He would push himself, push himself to the limit and back, because he had no other choice. That streak of pure determination had kept him alive so many times… and he would make sure he'd make it back home… in whatever form.

Fang watched in awe from his standpoint, a mix of awe and anxiety making it's way into his chest. The kid had spirit - that was made clear in their first encounter. But the fact he was now off the ground, if only a few centimeters, was incredible. He could remember how long it took him and the rest of the flock to just get their wings moving in sync, never mind with any kind of rhythm. That, and they had Jed to teach them… this kid had nothing. He was purely going off his gut instinct. And as much as Fang hated to admit it, he could respect that. Just as he was stuck in his little train of thought, he was snapped out of it, when he saw the tiniest little movement on Ichigo's wing. Opening the door as quietly as he could, he made his way silently, yet quickly over to Ichigo, his own gut instinct pulling him forward. And just as he neared the ginger-haired kid, he fell...right into Fangs arms. "Hey! Hey. Are you okay?" Ichigo had landed safely, the back of his head colliding with the other's knees instead of the cold, winter ground. Groaning, he nodded, pulling himself into a seated position, he turned to fang, a gleam in his eye that caught Fang completely off guard. Hope. "I'm alright." Suddenly, a bright chuckle bubbled from the other's chest, again taking him off guard. A small smile broke over Fang's face at the sheer hope that the other now possessed. It was contagious, it seemed.

-TIME SKIP TO NIGHTIME - SAME DAY. -

Ichigo and Fang had been joined by the rest of the flock gradually throughout the day, each with their wings outspread, laughing and full of encouragement. A sudden lull fell over them, when Ichigo gave the smallest hand gestures for the flock to stand back. Each member held their breath is anticipation, as Ichigo's large midnight wings spread out to their full extent. The slow first movements were somewhat cautious, but soon, the limbs were moving with a good amount of power. Ichigo's sheer concentration was clear on his face, from the eyes that had been squeezed shut, to the clenched fists at his sides. He could feel his feet levitate off the ground, and with the smallest smile, he managed to keep himself afloat for nearly a whole 2 minutes now, before finally falling back to Earth. Every single member cheered for Leo, Max even giving him a rather gentle punch on the arm. The rest all flocked around him, smiling and laughing. It was a miracle - Ichigo in himself was a miracle. They celebrated, not just for the days achievements, but for everyone's achievements. They were all safe. And they had a new member of their own little freak show. It was a happy time for them - and that in itself was rare.

In the middle of jeering, Ichigo suddenly felt a hand gently pull him away from the rest, Max's blonde hair revealing his 'kidnapper'. They walked until they were just out of earshot, before a pair of arms wrapped around Ichigo for just a moment. Max unwrapped her arms, and with a broad grin on her face, she placed her hand on the other's shoulder, which was an achievement, considering his height. "You're doing really good, y'know that? I wasn't expecting you to be up in the air until later this week, nevermind tonight!" She chuckled, and dismissed the orange haired teen back into the happy bubble. However, as happy as Max was for Ichigo's improvement - it also worried her. It was unnatural. He was unnatural. Not that she, or her flock were… but there was something off about him. Like he isn't made for their reality. Shaking her head, she shoved the worrying thoughts to the side, and smiled once more as she headed into the kitchen to retrieve the soft drinks from the fridge.

They sat outside for a few more hours, chatting, and laughing. The flock had a whole mountain of questions they wanted answering, and so did Ichigo. They chatted and chatted, until they couldn't quite think coherently from the exhaustion. Max was the first to stand. "Come on guys… let's head in." When no-one moved, she let out a small sigh. "I'll make you all cocoa?" And before she knew it, the flock- all but including Ichigo were all on their feet, making their way back into the house. Suddenly, a ear-splintering crack reverberated throughout the night, like a monumental sheet of glass had just shattered. Looking around, a strange light in the sky caught Max's attention. Furrowing her brows, she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. But none came. There was a crack, in the sky. And it was opening. Max instantly went to her flock, trying to herd them inside, and grabbing Ichigo to his feet, but all eyes were glued to the sky. Giant teeth, made from the night sky itself, opened, to reveal an impenetrable darkness, that contained only shadow. Out of that darkness, two objects shot out, and landed a few feet away from them, colliding with the ground with an unmistakable metallic twang.

Ichigo, surprisingly, was the first to approach the object - Max was hesitant. After all, a giant crack had just appeared in the sky. She also noticed Ichigo's reaction - or lack thereof. Noting it down mentally, she carefully edged her way closer to the fallen objects. Ichigo had already arrived, and crumpled to his knee's. Max bolted forward, "What's wrong?!" But Ichigo remained silent. Finally reaching the landing site - an very peculiar sight lay before them. Two japanese swords, katana's, by Max's judgement, lay on the frosty grass. But the only 'normal' thing about these katana's were the hilts - everything else was like nothing she had seen before. One was pure white, like snow… it was beautiful. Or it was, under the crimson that was grimed on top of it's shining blade. The second was even stranger, with hooked segments, which looked as if they were meant to connect together, lay askew from another, blood also covering it's dark edge.

Ichigo had lost all of his colour. Max crouched down, a deep concern in her eyes. "Ichigo… Do you know what these are?"

He didn't answer… he couldn't.

"No… No… Renji...Rukia…"


	10. Fated Flight

[Did you guys miss me? I bet a lot of you had forgotten about this! So had I...Hence the the 4 month wait. I'm so sorry. But I hope this makes up?

Ichigo sat in the cold grass, an icy finger tracing his way up his spine. He wanted to reach out and touch the blades...but he didn't dare. He didn't dare touch them, to solidify his fears of what could have happened to them. As if on cue, the the heavens above opened, a sudden downpour raining down on them...but Ichigo barely noticed. His eyes were glazed, lost in a sea of possibilities in his head, and the only thing that brought him from his trance was a very gentle clearing of Max's throat.

"Ichigo…? Do you know what these are?" Her voice was soft...sympathetic even. Although she had no idea of the importance of the blades to the orange haired boy. After all, to her, they were just a set of very odd, clearly Japanese blade...covered in blood. But she wasn't dumb, she could tell simply from Ichigo's initial reaction just how much they meant to him. Ichigo's voice was thick with emotion when he spoke, deliberately keeping his head down.

"They...belonged to my friends." He looked at the blades for a moment, and shut his eyes, quickly standing up. As he stood up, he gently took the two blades in his each hand. "They were with me...before I was brought here…" He left the sentence open-ended, and silently, a dark aura hanging over him, he headed back into the house, an anger blossoming in his chest like no other he had ever felt.

The flock stood speechless. Max quickly cleared her throat, and stood tall, her mind quickly working to figure out what to do. "Alright...So whoever this Rukia and Renji are, they obviously mean a lot to Ichigo." The flock nodded in unison. "And I think….we should try and help Ichigo however we can." The flock again, nodded as one. Max let out one long sigh, and placed her hands in her pockets. "I can't say what's happening here...but I think we should help him get back to his own flock, if you like. And you never know, we might learn something!" She forced a chuckle, and ushered the flock inside. "Let's go."

Ichigo sat with the bloody blades in his lap, in the livingroom. Some of the blood was still liquid. Setting the blades to the side, he stared at the wall for a moment, letting his mind wander. Where was Zangetsu? He didn't feel the same without his own blade… And why was he taken from him? He had even more questions, and even less answers. Ducking his head, he intertwined his fingers above his head. He had been doing relatively well dealing with his circumstances...but this was the straw that broke the camel's back. He heard the group come into the house. The door to the living room opened quietly, and the sound of soft footfalls, combined with the shift in weight on the couch beside him alerted him to the presence of someone. A gentle touch on his shoulder brought his head up, his eyes tired.

Max looked at him with the same level of concern that has been on her face since last night. Her voice was soft, but with a hint of urgency.

"Ichigo...I don't know who your friends are...or what those swords are...but we have your back." She smiled genuinely, and gave Ichigo's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Ichigo practised flying with a flaming determination. He was going to learn how to fly, he was going to find out what happened to his friends...and he was going to rescue them. He trained relentlessly, into the night. Fang watched from the bedroom window, his brows furrowed in thought. The sun had long dipped under the horizon, yet… Ichigo still trained. It was increasingly worrying. He knew he and the flock had more stamina than the average human...but this was ridiculous. Iggy appeared at his side, his own face worried. "What's up, Iggy?" He remained quiet for a moment. "This feels...weird." Fang perked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Iggy turned to face Fang. "What do I mean? Everything, that's what I mean! Me and Gazzy find some normal human who, according to Gazzy and Max, looks like something out of an old Frankenstein movie….who is like us. But he wasn't born like us. He's got a great amount of stamina, more than any of us, and he's already getting his feet off the ground. It's been what… three days? A week? It took us months." Iggy's voice had begun to rise in volume and intensity. He took a moment to calm himself. "And then there's the swords….I don't trust it. I don't know if I trust him." Fang stood quietly for what seemed like a moment, the rain, which had turned to drizzle, gently tapped the windowsill. "Max trusts him… but we'll make sure he's not dangerous." Iggy nodded.

Ichigo trained through the night, now able to get himself a good eight feet off the ground. Finally, at around 10am the next morning, he collapsed exhausted. Covered in sweat, his wings in agony, and his breathing heavy. He was getting there. He had made it fully into the air, and he was even starting to gain some control over his direction...but something had scared him, and broke his concentration. A voice.

"_Hello there, King….Miss me?_" The voice...the voice he thought he was rid of, had returned. Ichigo had forgotten to breathe for a moment, his eyes wide with sudden fear."_Looks like you needed me. So here I am."_ Ichigo groaned and rolled his eyes, and even that took energy he simply didn't have. [**Why are you here? I thought you had disappeared with Zangetsu…?**] Hichigo didn't answer vocally, but he did begin to push. Ichigo's sight began to darken as one eye changed from his natural hazel to yellow, a darkness coming over his sclera.

"Not now...not now!"

_You're going to fly Ichigo. And you're going to get us the hell out of here._


End file.
